Tag Eat Real Fest

Save Room for Oakland’s Eat Real Food Festival

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in News & Events Tagged with , , , , , September 24th, 2013 @ 11:29 am

S'mores from Eat RealI’m going to be completely honest with you… At Parties That Cook, we LOVE food. (You better not be surprised!!)

To us, every day is like a mini food festival, but this weekend is extra special. The 5th Annual Eat Real Festival is coming to Oakland! <—- This is me refraining from adding ten well-deserved exclamation points. Having made the trek to the other side of the bay the last 2 years, I can tell you first hand: Eat Real is worth it.

With far too many food vendors to sample in one two days, you best plan your route wisely. As I try to hit trucks and vendors I’ve never tasted before, I’ve already started making space for Radio Africa, Bacon Bacon, Homeroom, Kasa Indian Eatery, Sugarfoot Grits (YUM — only vendor I’m breaking my rule for), and The Chairman.

Eat Real Fest 13Oh, and don’t forget about the sporadic demos happening throughout the day. You’ll finally be able to learn about things like butchery (can you say ham tasting?!), butter making, cheese, cocktails, and coffee roasting! And if you simply can’t stomach leaving without a souvenir, check out the Craft Market where master food crafters will be selling the best bites (to take home) like jams, jerky, cookies, truffles, cheeses, honey and more. Now that I think about it, one weekend just isn’t enough!

But don’t take my word for it, taste and see for yourself! You can always stay home and check back here for envy-inspiring food photos!

Is all that awesomeness not your cup o’ tea?
1. You’re weird. We can’t be friends.
2. Check out the 14th Annual World Veg Festival in Golden Gate Park!

UPDATE: Below are some photos from the big weekend. We told you what we’d be aiming to eat — and we did it!

Radio Africa's Jambalaya - AMAZING

Radio Africa’s Jambalaya – AMAZING

Homeroom's Garlic Mac n Cheese

Homeroom’s Garlic Mac n Cheese – YUM.

Sugarfoot Grits - Check out that thick-cut bacon.

Sugarfoot Grits – Check out that thick-cut bacon.

Sugarfoot Grits - The delightful owner was nice enough to give a BONUS sample!

Sugarfoot Grits – The delightful owner was nice enough to give a BONUS sample!

Garden Creamery's Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sando. Note the rice crispy treats!

Garden Creamery’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sando. Note the rice crispy treats!

Frozen Kuhsterd! LOVED the Thai Tea flavor. Pictured: Coffee

Frozen Kuhsterd! LOVED the Thai Tea flavor. Pictured: Coffee

Things got a little crazy when we switched back to savory: Poutine from The Whole Beast

Things got a little crazy when we switched back to savory: Poutine from The Whole Beast.

Rice Paper Scissors - Fresh Dumplings!

Rice Paper Scissors – Fresh Dumplings!

The Chairman's lines finally died down so we could sneak in these Spicy Chicken and Pork Belly bites.

The Chairman’s lines finally died down so we could sneak in these Spicy Chicken and Pork Belly bites.

You Could Really Eat at the Eat Real Festival 2010!

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in For Fun, General, Go Green, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , August 31st, 2010 @ 11:29 am

Where were you this past weekend? I hope, for the sake of your taste buds and your wallet, that you made it out to Oakland’s Eat Real Festival. For all those who could not attend, you’re in luck! Heck, even for all those who did attend, but want to reminisce about the smorgasbord of fine food, host of good people, and hours of informative demonstrations, this blog is for you.

August 27-29, Jack London Square was taken over by dozens of food vendors, eager to get their gourmet menu items to the public. At $5 and under, I felt like I was actually stealing food all day! The slogan, “Putting the food back in fast,” could be seen everywhere. And for good reason! Eat Real’s mission, according to the event website, is making real food as accessible and affordable as fast food. It was truly refreshing to find that nothing was overpriced, and I could actually afford to try many of the items calling my name! It’s not often that I can satisfy my cravings and still have money left over.

Crowd favorites included the much buzzed about Chairman Bao truck, Gerard’s Paella made in GIANT paella pans, Tru Gourmet’s variety of organic dumplings, and the 51st State’s cactus fries that sold out twice before I could try them! I fell in love with the sweet potato pie from Uhuru Pies that seemed to have healing powers, and was lucky enough to snag some delicious lumpia from Senor Sisig before they disappeared.

Favorites from the Parties That Cook office included mushroom empanadas from El Porteno, Homeroom‘s mouth-watering Trailer mac and cheese, and almost anything from Jim n Nick’s BBQ (sadly, not local).

The demonstrations, though informative, were also entertaining. On Saturday, one could have learned how to milk a goat and make ice cream on the same stage! We now have our own bitters expert in the office thanks to a Sunday demo on Homemade Bitters with Greg Lindgren of San Francisco bar Rye. Knowledgeable and friendly presenters opened up to the crowd, sparking interest in sustainability and encouraging an exploration of the do-it-yourself lifestyle. Even our friends from FarmCurious were there! Check out our blog on Urban Homesteading for more information!

Overall, the fun-and food-filled weekend was a success! I will be sure to never miss another Eat Real Festival as long as they keep happening!

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